Villainverse:Maria's Pain and Regret
by Ghostwriter434
Summary: Her glove has found a new owner, her ex-husband is with another woman, and her son is now a supervillain. Maria's life has taken a drastic turn both before and after these things have taken place. Is this just rotten luck or are these things simply the cause of her own naivete and fears?
1. Chapter 1

(7 years and 6 months ago)

At the Rivera house, Rodolfo is reading a book on the couch. As he continues to reads, he hears a knock at the door. He answered the door to see who it is; it was Maria.

"Where is he?" Maria asked in anger

"You're going to have to be more specific." said Rodolfo

"Where is Manny?" Maria asked

"He left during the night." said Rodolfo

"Where and why didn't you stop him?" Maria demanded to know

"I don't know where he is; he didn't tell me where he was going. As for why I didn't stop him, I can't do that anymore; Manny is a man now and he can make his own decisions now." said Rodolfo

"Even if those decisions involve robbing a bank and escaping with his Ancient Tiger Spirit, hanging Chakal by his underwear on the Miracle City flagpole, and writing his name on the Wall of villains." said Maria

"Yes. That all means Manny has chosen to be a supervillain instead of a superhero or simply giving up on being El Tigre all together; that's it." said Rodolfo

"How can you be so calm about this? We have to go after him now." said Maria

"No." said Rodolfo

"Rodolfo, our son is…" said Maria grabbing her hand but gets interrupted after Rodolfo let's go

"A grown man capable of making his own choices and won't come back simply because we ask him too. The only reason you're even thinking of bringing him back is because you just want him to stop being El Tigre in general. I know about the conversation you had with Manny a month before his graduation; you can't change what has already happened." said Rodolfo

"I never want to see you again." said Maria after slapping Rodolfo in the face

Maria left the house and decided to track down Manny herself. At first she tried to see if Frida knew anything, but when she arrived at the cafe where Frida was staying the owner of the cafe told her that Frida left about a week ago; she didn't say where either. She wanted to try and ask any of Manny's "regular" friends but none of them knew and some didn't care that much. Asking some of his "bad" friends was impossible since they were all villains and it's said that all if not some of them left after their secret identities were leaked. She then traveled to some of the nearby cities and towns not too far from Miracle City but found nothing on where Manny could be. She tried every method that she could thinking in locating Manny, but nothing worked.

When she arrived home, she decided to call Manny on her phone again; if anything, she's been calling his phone just to see if he would answer her, even if it was an accidental call. Once she opened the door, she could hear her guitar playing and wondered who was playing it; the sound was coming from her kitchen. When she arrived at her kitchen with her umbrella, she found Django of the Dead.

"About time you showed up." said Django of the Dead

"Django of the Dead, what are you doing here; and is that my chocolate cream pie that you're eating?" Maria asked

"First off, yes it is. Second, I disabled all the security systems so don't bother calling for help; besides, I'm not here to kidnap you or anything anyway since you're not really worth it. And third and most importantly, stop calling this phone already; it's driving me nuts." said Django eating the pie and then showing Manny's cellphone to her

"What are you doing with Manny's phone; what did you do to my son?" Maria demanded to know

"Nothing. He smashed the phone since he got a new one and I decided to keep it for myself in large part to see if he had any compromising photos, but nothing, and I'm going to use it for a big plan I have. Anyway, stop calling this number already. Bye." said Django pointing his mystic guitar at Maria then pointing it away from her to leave

"The fact that you have Manny's phone means you ran into him. What will it take for you to tell me where he is?" Maria asked

"As much as I would like to try my new "deal" hand on someone right now, you're not worth my time. I don't know where El Tigre is going and I don't care; all I did was give him something that Puma Loco gave to my nana for safekeeping in order to give it to him and that's it. Besides, he doesn't want to see you anymore." said Django

"I don't believe you." said Maria

"Believe it. When I saw him, he had the look of "I'm not coming back, mom; stop calling me already". Not that it's any of my business nor do I really care, but it seems you've lost everything that held any meaning to you. That mystical item glove that you had abandoned you to find a new owner, your ex-husband finally found someone new but deep down you hate that yet you lie to him and say that you're happy for him when you're not, and your son is not only a supervillain but you two are no longer close. That third thing is one of the reasons I didn't even involve you in trying to turn El Tigre against his family; there was no point since the connection you tried to establish with him wasn't going to last long anyway since your own failure to accept him as El Tigre was so obvious that he would eventually leave you or turn against you anyway. You may be his mother, but you were never his mommy. Your attempts to "guide him" failed." said Django mocking Maria

"Get out. Get out!" Maria shouted in anger

"Fine. Like I said, you're not worth my time and I got you to stop calling this phone. To think that someone as strong and as powerful as El Tigre, came from someone like you; no wonder people see more of his dad and grandfather than they ever did of you." said Django taking no interest in Maria

"Django left the house via a flame portal that he conjured up after strumming his mystic guitar. Once he was gone, her face changed from anger to sadness. Some of the stuff Django said to her had truth in it and she knew it; even with the stuff he didn't mention, she knows that over these past few years she has grown far apart from her son. Her hopes of guiding him have failed and it's all her fault."

(7 years and 5 months ago)

A few weeks later, Maria was getting all her stuff put into the moving van with the help of Rodolfo. They had just added the last few boxes before closing the trunk.

"Well, that's everything." said Rodolfo

"Yep. Thank you, Rodolfo." said Maria

"So, where are you going to go now?" Rodolfo asked

"Somewhere, away from all of this; somewhere, I can rethink a few things about myself. If you want specifics, I don't feel like telling you." said Maria

"Alright." said Rodolfo

"I'm surprised you're not trying to stop me." said Maria

"The last time I did that it didn't work, even though the situation back then was very different from this one. Will I ever see you again?" said Rodolfo

"I don't know. Do you know if Manny will come back?" Maria asked

"I can't say I know when that will happen." said Rodolfo

"When that happens, I'll come back; but other than that, there is nothing really keeping me here anymore. Goodbye Rodolfo; I wish you luck and I'm sorry that I slapped you." said Maria giving Rodolfo a kiss on his cheek where she slapped him

Maria got in the moving truck and drove off; she watched as Rodolfo waved goodbye to her via her mirror. As she is driving off, she takes one final look at Miracle City before leaving. As she left, she let out a few more tears in her eyes while looking at a photo of herself and Rodolfo when they were younger with a baby Manny.

 **While this chapter was short, it's meant to get the ball rolling with what Maria has been doing before the events of Task Force Cross and after her son became a supervillain. I'll warn you now that this is going to be a bit sad, but it's not meant to make Maria miserable; there will be happy times for her. If anything, this is meant to be the character progression that Maria should have gotten but only after it was too late in a different form.**


	2. Chapter 2

**When you see this dream sequence(and possible other dream sequences with Maria that I may do), look up(if you can) and listen to this song called The Dreaming Girl in Me by Sakamoto Yoshie. It might make the dream sequences a little more alive/enjoyable if you actually saw this on a t.v or computer, plus it's a really lovely song**

(Dream Sequence Starts)

In a field of flowers, Maria is laying down with her eyes closed. She was taking in the smell of the flowers, the ray of the sun on her face, and the sounds of birds chirping. She then heard familiar voices calling to her; those voices were Manny (when he was still 13) and Rodolfo (without his White Pantera mask and the bronze boots of truth). She got up and noticed the both of them and ran to them and gave them both hugs; she kissed Manny on the cheek and kissed Rodolfo on the lips. The three of them continued to walk together in the field of flowers with happy looks on their faces. The scene transitions to them having a picnic at a nearby lake. Maria was passing out the plates, the plastic silverware, and spread the food out. As they are eating, Maria notices a huge storm cloud coming their way and two tornadoes, one white and one black. The three of them run for shelter as fast as they could. They found a nearby underground cave but the tornadoes are catching up to them. Before Maria could react, she found herself pushed into the underground cave and watched as Manny was pulled into the black tornado and Rodolfo pulled into the white tornado before passing out when she hit her head.

Maria woke up to find the flowers all gone and the lake dried up. Just then monsters resembling El Mal Verde, El Oso, Sartana, Dr. Chipotle Sr., and the Titanium Titan. They are about to attack Maria, until Rodolfo, now dressed as White Pantera defends Maria and starts to fight them. Maria then starts hyperventilating at the sight of Rodolfo acting so violent. After the fight was over, Rodolfo tried walking up to Maria but she told him to get away from her, she doesn't like violent men, and runs away.

She continues to run in order to find Manny. When she finds him, she calls out to him. He turns around, only to be older and dressed as El Tigre. She tries to get Manny to come with her, but he pushes her away. He said that he saw what he did to dad and if she can't accept him for what he is, then he'll leave now as to not give her the satisfaction of rejecting her own son too. El Tigre then walks into a flame portal with Django, Cactus Kid, and Black Cuervo. Maria tries to go after him, but the flame portal closes on her before she could do anything.

Maria tries to get Rodolfo to help her, but it was too late to get him. He was being taken away by an angel with black hair and purple highlights. She calls out to him to come help her get their son back, but he refuses to go back to her since she already rejected him. Also, he tells her that he has found someone new and kisses the angel right in front of Maria before disappearing with the angel.

Broken hearted, Maria falls to the ground in tears. Before she could do anymore crying, the ground beneath her began to crack and she started to fall into darkness.

(Dream Sequence Ends)

(6 years and 6 months ago)

Maria wakes up from her bed after having that dream and shuts off her alarm clock. She sees what time it is and gets out of bed. She rubs her eyes after having that dream-nightmare. She then notices the book she was reading, "Flower Fields on Monday", on the ground remembers that she fell asleep while reading it. She got out of bed, got dressed, ate breakfast, and headed to work.

It's been a year since Maria left Miracle City. She has been living in a town located in the mountains called Honeysuckle Village. The town is very isolated and small, but functioning for the most part. The population consist of 349 people (not including Maria). Most of the people of this town have known each other for a long time and pretty much everyone knows everybody for the most part. While there may be a few bad seeds/criminals, there is no super crime, no superheroes, no monsters, and is not a place where Maria will freak out over people fighting each other. Maria has made a few friends since she has been here and she's been welcomed with open arms. She now works in the town's bookstore with the elderly woman who owns the store, Trina Ola, and goes by the name Maria Equihua, going back to her maiden name instead of using the Rivera family name.

At the bookstore, Maria has just finished selling a book to a customer before she began to drink her coffee. She would then proceed to finding new spots for books that have been donated or sold to them, but not before cleaning/ironing them out a bit. As she is doing this, two grown teenagers from the high school walk into the store; Maria offered to help them, but one of the teenagers said that they don't need help. As they are looking for the books they wanted, Maria overhears a conversation that the two girls are having.

"So, when are you going to leave town?" said a girl with blue hair and glasses

"Tomorrow afternoon. My boyfriend and I will leave and probably never come back; good riddance to this boring town." said a girl with black hair in a French braid

"Which HeroCo building will you two be going to anyway?" the girl with blue hair and glasses asked

"The one in Miracle City. It's the closest one from here and it's the best place where I can finally kick some supervillain ass." said the girl with black hair in a French braid

"I suppose so. It's supposed to be a "Spicy cesspool of crime and villainy" from what I heard. I also heard it was on the road to being more peaceful, but due to some scandals that took place there, the crime and villainy has increased even though heroes there have increased too." said the girl with blue hair and glasses

"Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway; I can start up there and then move on to a place where I'll become the most famous and stylish hero of all time." said the girl with black hair in a French braid

"So, who's sidekick are you going to be anyway?" the girl with blue hair and glasses asked

"Plata Peligrosa's sidekick. All I have to do is be her sidekick for two whole years and then I can strike out on my own." said the girl with black hair in a French braid

"What about Marco?" the girl with blue hair and glasses asked

"He's going to working with the H-Laws; I forget which hero though. (to Maria) Hey, I'd like to buy these books." said the girl with black hair in a French braid shouting for Maria

"Be right there." said Maria

Later that day, after she got off work, Maria decided to hang out at the park and continue one of her books that she was reading the other night. However, she was having trouble reading after that girl had brought up the name "Plata Peligrosa"; it was her superhero name, but not anymore.

It's been three years since her glove decided to abandon Maria after it found someone who wanted to wield it full time and it felt that it was being neglected by Maria, again. The glove now belongs to a woman named Meredith Rojo, who has not only been taking care of it but was able to keep the glove from making her go insane with ease since she loved the thrill and the fight already (and wasn't a suppressed and timid person like Maria). She's become very famous amongst the other heroes, even forming her own hero team in one year.

After she was able to focus on reading her book and noticing what time it is, she decided to head back home. Just then, she bumps into three kids and spills some of their stuff on the ground.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." said Maria

"No, it our fault; we weren't paying attention." said a girl with pink hair

"Oh no, my cards." said a boy with a white t shirt

"I'll help you get them up." said Maria

"Thanks lady." said the boy with a white t shirt

"What are these by the way?" Maria asked looking at the

"Superhero-Supervillain trading cards; they came out about a few months ago." said a boy with a black shirt with fire on it

"There's even a game for these cards too." said the girl with pink hair

"You all seem to have a lot of these cards." said Maria picking up more cards

"These cards belong to Pablo; he likes to collect a lot of hero cards. I keep mine in my pocket." said the girl with pink hair

"Be careful with those; they're my prized cards of my favorite heroes. Even though they're in card covers, I make sure that they're protected since these are my favorite superheroes: The Seventh Samurai, Mr. Heal, Crimson Rider, Nurse Angel, and White Pantera. Superheroes are the best." said Pablo

"When, they're not." said the boy with the black shirt with fire on it

"Oh come on Damian, of course they are. (to Maria) Don't mind him, he likes to collect supervillains." said Pablo

"Because they're awesome. Face it, heroes are lame with their happy, sappy, and annoying sayings. The supervillains are more exciting and less boring. (to the girl) Back me up here, Rosa." said Damian

"I collect both sets of cards for the game in order to beat you guys and the other kids; I could care less about which side is better, superheroes or supervillains." said Rosa

"Some friend you are. (to Pablo) Anyway, superheroes are lame. The supervillains are the best, especially these villains: Django of the Dead, Thunder Quake, The Human Jackhammer, Black Cuervo, Senor Sinister, and my personal all-time favorite villain of them all El Tigre. He's the best supervillain of them all; to think he's the son of that lame hero, White Pantera." said Damian showing Maria his supervillain cards

"White Pantera isn't lame; he's awesome. El Tigre should have been a hero; I can't believe he chose to be a villain instead of a hero." said Pablo

"Well, their family is known for having a mixture of heroes and villains so it should come to no surprise if you think about it." said Rosa

"I just hope the two of them start to collide one day; it would be awesome to see those two fight." said Damian

"White Pantera would win, though." said Pablo

"No, El Tigre." said Damian

"White Pantera! El Tigre! White Pantera! El Tigre! White Pantera! El Tigre!" said Damian and Pablo continuing to argue

"Thanks for helping us out, but you should go; this is going to take a while." said Rosa to Maria

"Ok, then." said Maria leaving after getting all the cards up

When Maria got back home and locked her door, she fell to the ground in sadness. While she's reminded of this everyday just because of her memories, seeing those cards of Rodolfo and Manny still break her heart, especially the fact that Manny is a supervillain. While she knows in her heart that Manny and Rodolfo would never fight in the manner those kids were probably thinking. And to add insult to injury, her status as Plata Peligrosa is all but forgotten (as far as she knows) One things for sure, she's going to have trouble sleeping tonight.

The next morning, on her day off from work, Maria decided to head to the market to pick out something for dinner tonight. While she at the market, she's on the phone with one of her friends, Katherine.

I don't know Katherine. I trip to the beach sounds great, but I don't think we need to travel to Hawaii just to go to the beach. It's not that I don't want to go, but it just seems so far away. Ok, ok, I'll think about it more. Bye.

"Hello, miss. What can I get you?" said the market clerk

"Do you have any fresh apples today?" Maria asked

"Yes. You got the last batch. Also, can I interest you in a dream catcher?" said the market clerk showing Maria a circular dream catcher with a purple rock in the middle of it and pink bows tied on the top of it

"This looks really well made. I especially like the purple diamond in it. This could really help me with my nightmares. How much?" Maria asked

"It's free of charge with any purchase. A friend of mine has a lot of these and his asking me to help sell as many as possible." said the store clerk

"Tell your friend that I love it and I'll take good care of it." said Maria

"Have a nice day." said the store clerk

Later that night, Maria set up the dreamcatcher above her before getting in bed. She then drank a warm glass of milk. She then looks at two old photos: One of her and Mann (when he was 13) and the other of her and Rodolfo back when they were both younger at the beach. After looking at those photos, she gets into bed and closes her eyes.

(Dream Sequence Starts)

Maria found herself at the beach wearing her silver bikini in the water. Just then, she is splashed with a water gun by Manny. At first she gets mad, but then grabs two water guns out and fires them at them. The two of them go at it for a few more minutes, before she threw her water guns away in order for Frida and Zoe to catch them and spray water at them. She would simply watch as her son played with his two friends.

She would then get out of the water to dry off for a bit and put on some sunscreen. She then noticed Rodolfo walking back with Grandpapi, Donkey, and Senor Chappi with some more beach supplies and food for tonight. After they put down all the stuff, Grandpapi took Senor Chappi and Donkey for a walk. This left Rodolfo and Maria all alone together. Maria asked Rodolfo to put some sunscreen on her back for her, to which he said yes. At the same time, they are listening to a radio broadcast talking about how crime has gone down drastically after the fall of El Mal Verde and Sartana of the dead years ago along with the rise of new heroes that were inspired by White Pantera and are being led by the Titanium Titan since Rodolfo retired after defeating these two powerhouse villains causes the majority of supervillains to leave Miracle City or retire.

Later that night, everyone is asleep in the beach house, everyone except Rodolfo and Maria; the two of them are taking a midnight stroll on the beach together. The two of them stop walking and look into each other's eyes. Maria then says that this is how things should be, peaceful, quiet, and fun; she hopes that they will always have days like this. Rodolfo grabs her by the chin and tells her that they will always have moments like this. The two of them proceed to kissing each other under the moonlight.

(Dream Sequence Ends)

In the real world, Maria is smiling with a tear coming out of her eye. However, as she slept, the purple stone in her dreamcatcher is starting to glow as she sleeps.


	3. Chapter 3

(6 years and 5 months ago)

On the sandy beaches of Hawaii, Maria is with her friends, Katherine, Valerie, and Samantha; she decided to take up Katherine's offer and go to Hawaii with her and her friends. At the moment, Maria is on the beach reading a book while Valerie and Samantha are in the water. As she is reading, her friend Katherine grabs the book away from her.

"Come on, Maria; you can read some other time." said Katherine

"Hey, this is the perfect book to read while you're on the beach." said Maria showing her the book

"Maybe, but there are also other things to do other than read. Like, building a sandcastle for a sand castle competition." said Katherine taking the book away

"If you wanted my help in building a sandcastle, you just had to ask me." said Maria

"I know, but there is also another reason I need you to help me build this sandcastle." said Katherine

"What would that be?" Maria asked

"To get the attention of those guys. I noticed them hitting on a few ladies on the resort and from what I can tell they've been hitting on women who are interested in sandcastles; sounds strange I know, but I've been paying attention to how they hit on women." said Katherine pointing to three muscular men from the distance

"You could just go up and talk to them." said Maria

"I know that, but it's always best to make the guy come to you rather than simply going to them; it makes us appear more desirable if they come to us. Besides, this also helps you out too." said Katherine

"Katherine." said Maria with an upset look

"Come on Maria, you got to get back out there. When was the last time you were adored like a goddess or even gone on a date with a guy? Or are you interested in girls? Nothing wrong with that, but I don't know how to help you with that." said Katherine

"I'm into men, Katherine, and I'm not interested in finding one right now. "said Maria

"Not even for a one-night stand." said Katherine

"No. If I ever decided to talk to a man or even date him I would at least make sure that our relationship had meaning to it. I want our relationship to have passion, love, understanding….." said Maria thinking about her words

"Is something wrong Maria?" Katherine asked

"Um, I'll be right back." said Maria getting up and leaving

Maria left to the nearest restroom to clear her head a bit and splash some water in her face. The words Maria were saying to Katherine may be true in her eyes, but how can she really say that after how she never really "understood" Rodolfo when they were together. She knew that he always understood her and she always understood him but did she really understand him like she's claiming; after all, she not only divorced him but at times she made it sound like their past relationship meant nothing anymore too especially when she came back to Miracle City.

After Maria left the bathroom, she bumped into a woman with yellow hair with a yellow sling bikini.

"Hey, watch where you're going." said the woman in yellow

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to run into you like that." said Maria

"Whatever." said the woman and yellow

"Wait, you forgot your sunglasses and…...Carmelita." said Maria recognizing the woman to be Carmelita

"Who? My name is Yolanda; I don't know who this Carmelita person is." said Carmelita denying who she is to Maria

"Sorry, it's just you looked very familiar to her; she was a good friend of mine who I haven't seen in a long time. I wouldn't mind seeing her again." said Maria

"That's too bad." said Carmelita

That night, Maria and her friends were having dinner under the moonlight. They were also comforting Katherine since she struck out with those guys who were interested in sandcastles; one guy already had a girlfriend, the second guy was into blondes, and the third guy was gay. As they are eating, the waiter brought Maria another drink that she didn't order this; the waiter says it's complimentary and already paid for by "a friend" and gave her a copy of the receipt showing that it was paid for. Valerie asked if she knew someone here; Maria said maybe, but she's not sure yet. Samantha said that it doesn't really matter since it is a free drink. Unbeknownst to them, there was a message on the receipt that only Maria understood.

It was midnight and all of Maria's friends are asleep. However, she got up and sneaked out in order to meet up with Carmelita on the rooftop of the hotel. When she arrived at the entrance, she noticed a laser being pointed at her head.

"So, it really was you at the beach." said Maria

"Yes. I didn't expect to see you again, especially in a place like this." said Carmelita dressed as Voltura

"So, are you going to destroy me?" Maria asked

"No. I could never do that to you; we were friends after all. Besides, even if we weren't, I can't get rid of you since it would turn my daughter against me because she loves your son despite exploring other options. So, how have you been?" said Carmelita putting the laser down

"Fine, I guess. I've moved away from Miracle City, working at a bookstore, and I'm hanging out with some of the friend I made. You?" said Maria

"Other than no longer being an art teacher, the usual. But I think you can see that given what I'm wearing." said Carmelita walking toward the edge of the roof

"I tried calling you after every supervillain's secret identity was revealed, but you didn't answer me." said Maria walking toward her

"Well I couldn't call you back since my family and I had to go into hiding; besides, for all I knew you could have been bugged by that stupid surveillance company (Eye See You) since you did help them." said Carmelita

"I stopped working for them long before they revealed your identity like that; once I learned what their boss, Andrew Lockhart, was really planning; although, I was warned in advance long ago." said Maria with a look of regret

"Nothing we can do about it now. Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and goodbye to you properly. It was good seeing you again, Maria." said Carmelita

"Wait. Why are you a supervillain? It can't be just to get rid of Rodo…..White Pantera and the entire Rivera family. You're a talented artist; I've seen your beautiful works myself and they would be admired by everyone." Maria asked wanting to know why

"The ones you saw were my stepping stones; my real art is already being displayed and it was quite popular for its time. However, this is the supervillain art world; the "real" art world it would have been impossible for my art to be displayed for the public in the manner that I wanted when I was younger and even now. The competition in the villain art world made it a lot easier for my art to be noticed their and it gave me the power to go after art pieces that only got in via money or other forms of corruption. As for White Pantera, he's just a bonus in his own right after I…..after he broke up with me in the way he did; but at the same time it was my fault." said Carmelita explaining everything to her

"Couldn't you two find a way to make amends, become friends like Manny and Zoe did? Besides, Manny was your apprentice?" said Maria

"I only taught Manny because Zoe "convinced" me that he would crush an art rival of mine; he did and for that I can slightly tolerate him being around my daughter (also he didn't break up with my daughter through text message like Django did). Also, Zoe is…..better than me; and I'm sure Rodolfo thinks Manny is better than him too." said Carmelita

"He probably would say that, especially if he can handle Manny being a supervillain. Have you seen Manny?" Maria asked

"No. I don't keep track of him and what he does and I honestly don't care, Maria. I do my own thing from now on; I only came here to get something that only this place. When I saw you, I figured I change my plans a bit just to say hello and goodbye to you." said Carmelita looking at Maria

"Goodbye?" said Maria

"I'm now a full time supervillain; because of this, we can't be friends now that things have changed the way they have. But I want you to know that our friendship meant something to me." said Carmelita getting ready to leave

"Carmelita." said Maria trying to stop her

"I have to go now. Goodbye, Maria. Live out your life with happiness and be glad that you are free from the curse of the Rivera family and me." said Carmelita using a knockout gas on Maria

Maria found herself waking up in her room and it was morning. She was wondering if that was a dream or was it real. She then noticed a photo of her and Carmelita during a spa day that they had together and the words "Best Friends For Life". She then reads another message on the back of the photo that says "Our time as friends may have been cut short by certain circumstances, but it was the best time of my life in a long time. I wish I could have met sooner so our friendship would last longer".


	4. Chapter 4

**My OC**

 **Trina Ola-She's about Lady Gobbler's height, has gray hair with a mixture of pink in a bun, dark brown skin, hazel eyes, and wears a red and pink one piece dress and a green sweater.**

 **Carlos-A man with light brown skin, tall, muscular, smooth black hair, and green eyes. He wears a brown leather jacket, black shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots.**

(5 years and 8 months ago)

At the bookstore, Maria is dusting off the old books. While she is doing this, her boss comes in.

Maria said "Morning Ms. Ola."

Trina said rubbing her eyes "Morning Maria."

Maria asked "Are you alright?"

Trina said about to head upstairs "Yeah, just had a rough night; stayed up too late watching my favorite movies. Anyway, someone is going to pick up a few books from me; if she ask about me, let me know."

Maria said "Sure."

Then suddenly, someone came in. When Maria turned her head, she became entranced by the appearance of this man for a few seconds. Before she started fantasizing about him, Ola said his name.

Trina said "Carlos, welcome back."

Carlos said "Thank you Ola. It's good to be back." He then looks at Maria and says "I don't think I've seen you before. What is your name?"

Maria said "Maria Equihua. I've lived here for almost two years now.:

Carlos said after kissing her hand "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Maria."

Maria said "Thank you."

Carlos asked "Do you know where I can find the book "Eternal Tomorrow?"

Maria said "Yes. It should be under the Drama section on the right."

Carlos said heading to the Drama section "Thank you. Ola always changes up where the books are."

Maria said "She likes to make everyone "work" for their books when they don't ask for her help. So, you're from here?"

Carlos said "Yep. Born and raised. I've come and gone from time to time."

Maria asked "What have you been doing?"

Carlos said showing Maria some photos of himself in different places "I worked as an airline pilot. Seen a lot of places in my life."

Maria said "Looks like you've been all around the world."

Carlos said "I have. But now I've decided to sort of hang up my wings and take up residents here again."

Maria asked "What do you mean sort of give up your wings?"

Carlos said "Well, I still like flying and don't want to give it up just yet. So, I'm going to give rides with my crop duster plane after I fine tune it."

Maria said "Sounds like fun. Maybe you could give me a ride."

Carlos said "Trust me, Maria, you'll be the first to ride it. See you around."

After Carlos left, Maria started to see her palms sweat after meeting Carlos. Her palms only sweat if she started to fall in love with someone, or at the very least have a crush on someone. Maria snapped herself out of this; she told herself that she just met this man and can't be sure if she is actually in love with him. However, she also thought to herself that it's not wrong to have a crush on him and maybe fall in love with a new man; after all, Rodolfo is with Nurse Angel now. It wouldn't be wrong for her to move on as well.

A few hours later, Maria just come back from lunch with one of her friends. As soon as she entered, she ran into someone who she never thought she would see again.

Donna said "Ms. Maria. It's been a long time.

Maria asked "Donna. What are you doing here?

Donna said "I'm here to get some books for my mistress."

Maria said "You mean Alice."

Donna said "Yes, my mistress."

Maria said "You sound more, upbeat than I remember."

Donna said "That's because my mistress managed to find a compatible emotion chip that works for my internal systems. Now I can experience emotions like a regular human. Anyway, is Ms. Ola here? My mistress asked me to get a book from her."

Maria said looking around "She must have stepped out; although, she usually locks up the store when one of us isn't around to watch it. Maybe she's on the phone; I'll be right back."

Maria went to Ola's office to inform her of Donna's presence. When she arrives, she notices passage to a hidden room opened in the office

Maria said "Ms. Ola, the person, or in this case android, is here to get the book she ordered."

Alice said "She knows that Maria; that's why I'm talking to her."

Maria shouted "Alice. Where are you?"

Alice said "On the phone, you cretin. Trina and I were having a conversation that required me to be on speaker phone. So, this is where you ended up."

Maria said "You sound surprised."

Alice said "Rodolfo always assumed that you went somewhere to get away from all the dangers and stress in your life; a place where you could try to forget everything. I told him no place like that exist in this world and you would find that out the hard way; not that I really care what you do."

Maria asked "How is Rodolfo?"

Alice said "He's still with Nurse Angel."

Maria said "I didn't ask that!"

Alice said "But you were thinking it."

Maria said "You don't know that; you can't read a person's mind over the phone."

Alice said "My power isn't exactly mind reading in the manner and you know it; I think I made that perfectly clear during that dinner all those years ago."

Maria said "Either way, I wasn't thinking that."

Alice said "Your lying."

Maria said "Why do you care?"

Alice said "I don't; I was just pointing that out. I don't care what someone like you thinks of me; you have no right to judge the type of person that I am when you are just as bad as me if not worse. If you want to find out how Rodolfo is doing, then do it yourself. Although, it's not like you really cared about him."

Maria shouted "I do care about Rodolfo!"

Alice said "If that's true then why do you still "blame" him for Manny being a supervillain? We both know that's not his fault and it was Manny's choice to be a superhero or a supervillain; no one, not you, me, him, or anyone else could make that choice for him. And even if someone could make it for him, you most certainly couldn't make that choice for him; you don't have the right to decide that for him since you're nothing more than a coward."

Maria said "What about the stuff you've done? I've looked up your exploits and what the other superheroes say about you. If you ask me, you're the real coward."

Alice said "Maybe I am. Difference between you and me, Maria, is I admit that I have problems and that deep down I'm a bad person and I need to change somehow. However, you are just as bad; you think others need to change but your not willing to change yourself when the situation calls for it. The way you are, you're just going to hurt those around you for your kindness and cowardice; just like you hurt Rodolfo, Manny, Selina, Coco, and The Glove of Danger."

Maria said before she was interrupted "Shut you bi…"

Trina said "Enough! Both of you. Maria, give this to Donna. Alice, stop harassing my employee."

Alice said before she hung up "Very well, Trina; I have to go anyway. It was nice talking to you again. Goodbye."

Maria left the office and headed back to Donna to give her the books. Donna then gave Maria the money for them and said goodbye. After she was gone, Trina started coming down the stairs.

Trina said "I know that you never like to mention your past, but I didn't think that you would know Alice."

Maria said "Sadly, I do. I hate that woman. Even though hate is an ugly word, I can easily use it to describe my feelings for her. How do you know Alice?"

Trina explained "Her father and I were close friends before he was killed. Not that this will mean anything, but there is more to Alice than meets eye."

Maria said "Rodolfo told me that once; I didn't believe him"

Trina said "That's understandable. Take the rest of the afternoon off."

Elsewhere, Donna is walking toward an abandoned ally and walk through a portal to Alice's location. Alice appears before her in her wheelchair.

Donna said giving her the books "Here are the books, Mistress Alice."

Alice said "Thank you, Donna."

Donna asked "Are you going to tell White Pantera Maria's location?"

Alice said "Unless he somehow asks about it, no. I ask that you not mention it either.

Donna said "Is it because you don't want to ruin Nurse Angel's relationship with him by bringing her back up?"

Alice said "No; that doesn't matter to me. Rodolfo can be with whomever he wants to be. However, unless Maria decides to change her attitude that won't hurt him, I'll be sure to protect him from her since things are this way. "

Donna asked "So you don't mind if White Pantera and Maria fall in love again in the future if it happens?

Alice said "As long as she doesn't hurt him again, I won't say or do anything. But the way she is now, she will simply hurt him again and I won't let that happen. She has problems that she needs to fix; she should have been aware of that the moment I severed the bond between her and The Glove of Danger. But enough of that; I've got some reading to do."

The few days later, Maria is leaving her house to eat breakfast at the Honeydew café like she does (almost) every Saturday. When she arrived at the café , she saw Carlos sitting at her usual table.


	5. Chapter 5

(12 years and 4 months ago)

Maria's POV

 _I'll never forget the night I met Alice Grainger. It was that night where my life started to take a drastic turn for the worse._

I decided to stop by the house for a surprise visit and to make sure that Manny has his books for school since he is starting the eighth grade soon. When I arrived at the door, I noticed a little girl carrying a scythe.

I said taking the scythe away "Hey, what are you doing?"

The little girl said "I suggest you give that back".

I said before I was shocked "No. A child such as yourself shouldn't…."

The next thing I knew, I was being licked by Donkey; Rodolfo, Manny and Grandpapi(wearing a tinfoil hat) surrounded me.

Manny said with a worried tone"Mom, are you ok?"

I asked "What happened?"

A woman said while sipping tea "You were hit with a magical shock that coursed through your entire body that acts like a taser because you were foolish enough to touch a magical item that doesn't belong to you."

I asked "Who are you? Where's that little girl with that scythe?"

Rodolfo said "Maria, this is Alice Grainger; she's a friend of mine."

Papi said "A weird friend."

Alice said "As for that little girl that you saw….(after transforming) you're looking at her right now. Word of advice: Never touch magical items that aren't yours; some, like mine, have security measures that prevent unauthorized use."

I said "I wasn't trying to use it, if that helps."

"Obviously. Besides, even if you were you wouldn't be able to lift it anyway; you're not strong enough. Excuse me, I have to take this."

Rodolfo explained to me that Alice is a Magical Girl, or Mystical Girl; there are other names that she goes by. She gained her powers when she was little and the two of them used to fight supervillains and these things called Parasites; that form I saw is her Magical Girl from and the exact age when she made her wish. After getting my head clear, I remembered hearing the name Alice Grainger before. According to a phone call from the principal, she's going to be the new guidance counselor for the school and greet her with a warm welcome.

At dinner, Alice was talking to Manny the most. She had heard things about him through her "sources" but she wanted to learn more about him from his perspective rather from what she's heard. However, the conversation turned into something else.

Alice asked "Manny, have you unlocked any new powers lately?"

Manny said "Um, no. Closest thing I've unlocked is the Ancient Tiger Spirit and that was months ago."

Alice said "How would you feel if I can unlock a new power for you?"

Manny said with a surprised-excited tone "What!?"

Rodolfo said "Alice, you can't really mean that?

Alice said "You know I never say stuff I don't ever mean, Rodolfo. I can unlock a new power for Manny."

I asked "Why would he even need a new power?"

Alice said "To defend himself against his enemies. It's not like they're going to remain the same; sooner or later, they'll upgrade their tactics. I just want to give him a fair advantage."

Papi said "You're not doing this out of the kindness of your heart."

Rodolfo said "Papi, of course she is."

Alice said "I am but at the same time I'm not. Manny, in addition to helping you unlock a new power, I would like to make a wager with you."

Manny said "Really? What kind of wager?"

Alice said "If you manage to last 10 minutes in a fight against me, I'll unlock five more powers from your El Tigre belt to use as you see fit along with 1 million dollars."

Manny said "1 million. You have that kind of money?"

Alice said "Yes."

Manny asked "Wait, what happens if I lose."

Alice said "If you lose, unless it is life threatening or they are in a bind that really requires your help, you can't team up with your dad to do hero stuff or your grandpapi to do evil stuff for a whole year."

I said "This is insane. You can't make Manny agree to such a thing."

Alice said "I never said he had to agree to this. It's totally up to him; I just wanted to give him an incentive to face me. I didn't say he had to win the fight, just last 10 minutes."

Manny asked confused "Why would you want me not to work with my dad and grandpapi for a year?"

Alice said looking at me, Rodolfo, and Papi "I'll only tell you if you win or lose against me. Telling you now would defeat the purpose of the fight. You can say yes or no to this proposal; I'll only accept "your" answer."

She put a lot of emphasis on "your" when talking to Manny; this meant she wouldn't accept any outside influence from me, Rodolfo, or Grandpapi. Sadly, Manny agreed to the terms and the both got changed. She used her scythe and opened a portal to a strange place; Rodolfo and Grandpapi followed them into the portal. I almost did too, but the portal closed.

I decided to go look for them; they had to be somewhere in the city. I looked for about an hour and a half until I decided to go back to the house to see if they came back. However, I ran into Alice and Donna (who I didn't know at the time) instead; she was all bruised up.

Alice said "Oh, there you are?"

I said "Where are they?"

Said a girl in a maid outfit pointing a machine gun hand at me "Get your hands off Mistress Alice."

Alice said "Stand down Donna."

Donna said "As you wish."

Alice said "Manny, Rodolfo, and Puma Loco are resting at my mansion. We ran into an unexpected enemy after our battle; it was a Parasite."

I said "I thought all the Parasites were gone."

Alice said "I thought so too. However, someone has managed to make an artificial Parasite. We managed to beat it, but the battle was not easy. Rodolfo wanted me to tell you that Manny is alright and you can go home."

I asked "Did Manny last 10 minutes against you?"

Alice said "No. He only lasted 8 minutes and 4 seconds. He's strong, but he could be stronger; the fact that he made me use 55 percent of my power tells me that he can become stronger. He unlocked not only one power, but two: His scarf became a tattered cape that acted as a shield and he let out a huge roar that can paralyze a person but only for a few seconds."

I asked "What was the point in all this?"

Alice said "Mostly curiosity. Believe it or not, I've run into kids like Manny before, ones who are trying to decide between being a hero or a villain. I wanted to see what he's learned from his hero father and villain grandfather; see how it shaped him."

I asked "Then why would you prevent him from working with them for a year? Mainly the hero stuff with his father; I'm glad he won't be doing any villain stuff with his grandfather."

Alice said "Because I wanted to give Manny the chance to grow on his own without being held back by them. You may not know it or see it, but Manny needs a period where he can learn on his own and use his powers for himself rather than just his family; otherwise, regardless if he chooses to be a hero or a villain."

I asked "You're a hero too, right? How come you're adding the option of Manny being a villain."

Alice said "Because he has just as much a reason to be a villain as he does to be a hero; although, the reasons to be a villain might outweigh the reasons to be a hero. I may be a hero Maria, but I'm also a realist first. Besides, why would someone like you care?"

I said "Because I'm his mother."

Alice said as she left "You may be his mother, but you're not his mom."

I said "What?"

Alice said after she stopped walking "I'll be perfectly clear with you, Maria. Women like you disgust me. I could never really get along with you or work with you unless I really had no other choice. We may be working at the same school, but don't expect us to become friends."

I asked "What do you have against me?"

Alice said "Three things; one of them being a minor nitpick that I can get over. One: You give women superheroes I know a bad name. Two: You remind me of someone who I hate the most in this world and you two have very similar personalities with some differences. Three: You continue to hurt my friend with your presence."

I said "You mean Rodolfo."

Alice said before she and Donna left "Yes. You may no know it, but your personality and your supposed "concern" is going to hurt him and Manny one day and eventually they won't be able to handle your nonsense anymore. Have a nice night."

 _I didn't realize it then, but that was the day that Alice and I became enemies. By the time I realized it, she had already taken something away from me and a friend of mine._

(11 years and 5 months ago)

In the desert, Alice is in her Magical Girl form and Maria is on the ground looking at her as she holds her Plata Peligrosa glove on her scythe.

 **Part 2 will come out later down the line; it won't be the next chapter. This chapter is meant to act as a gateway to Maria and Alice and why why they hate each other so much.**


End file.
